The Blues play their first match at FIFA’s revamped tournament on June 16 in Atlanta.
Enzo Maresca could leave out senior players at the upcoming Club World Cup if they show signs of fatigue as the Chelsea head coach claimed “no-one cares about player welfare”.
The Blues play their first match at FIFA’s revamped tournament on June 16 in Atlanta, three weeks after the conclusion of the Premier League season and 18 days after facing Real Betis in the Conference League final in Wroclaw.
Five of Maresca’s side have been named in England manager Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the games against Andorra on June 7 and Senegal on June 10, leaving only six days for those involved to prepare for the team’s opening match against Mexican side Leon.
Should Chelsea reach the final on July 13, their 2024-25 season will not conclude until five weeks before the new Premier League campaign kicks off.
“The problem is that we have a game Sunday and Wednesday, a European final,” said Maresca, who confirmed he did not speak with Tuchel about leaving out Chelsea players.
“No-one cares about that. No one cares about player welfare.
“If they’re going to be tired (in the US), they’re not going to play. How can you manage that? It’s simply like that.
“I don’t think there’s any attention paid to (if) players are healthy or these kind of things. It’s not normal the amount of games they play.”
Of the players called up for England, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke have played in 44 and 39 games respectively this season, while Levi Colwill has played 36 times including 34 Premier League starts.
Reece James has played fewer matches as the club manages his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury and Trevoh Chalobah – who has earned a first international call-up – has played 18 times for Chelsea after making 14 appearances on loan at Crystal Palace during the first half of the campaign.
Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo could play twice each for Argentina and Ecuador in World Cup qualifying in June, while Malo Gusto has been called up to France’s squad
The schedule means Maresca may have to effectively forego a pre-season ahead of the next campaign in order to give players time off after the Club World Cup.
“For me it’s not normal and it’s not correct,” he said. “I can understand that people are thinking ‘they earn (a lot of) money,’ but it’s not about money, it’s about health, it’s about protecting players.
“My feeling is because of the amount of games they play, I don’t think they (FIFA) pay attention.”
Maresca admitted the pressure on his side to qualify for the Champions League is greater than it will be on Nottingham Forest when the teams meet at the City Ground on Sunday.
A win for Chelsea will secure a top-five finish, although Forest’s own hopes are still alive if they can beat the Blues and other results go their way.
“At this stage of the season I think the pressure is for all the clubs that are involved,” said Maresca. “It’s also (pressure) for (Forest).
Asked whether the expectation weighs heavier on Chelsea, he said: “Probably yes.”
